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I lost one companion and got another, bringing me to +-0. Hiiragi and Isami are at the same level in terms of troublesomeness to boot, so the situation really hasn’t changed. Now if Hiiragi actually returns, what do I even do?

“Done talking?”
“Shihocchi, heya~!”
“Why’d you come back?”
“Because I sensed the somber mood. Jokes aside, I was called by an acquaintance, you see.”

In the direction she pointed to was a female police officer bowing our way. Again, why were you even called by a police officer? Now they might find me, who’s an acquaintance of Hiiragi, to be suspicious. Rather, why did you two become acquaintances?

“It’s been dangerous here lately, so I was asked to scout the area.”
“Well, that’s not something to ask from a civilian.”
“Delinquents behave when they see me and Nako patrolling, after all.”

And the ones who’d still continue their mischief after seeing them are most likely to be shady outlaws, too. That can serve as information for cracking down on criminals. Well, I did know that they are occasionally commissioned to patrol for crime prevention, though.

“Nako and Shihocchi are pretty famous as the spear and shield pair, after all.”
“But in reality, Souji was also part of the team.”
“Let me make this clear; that wasn’t my own choice.”

There were a lot of fools who, upon seeing Nako, would challenge her for the title of the strongest. And since Ani would be with her, he helped fend them off, which resulted in some of the idiots testing their strength with Ani before challenging Nako. And ever since they were with Hiiragi, they’d also get involved in weird situations.

“Isami, are you coming with us to Kotone’s home too?”
“Oh, Koto-chan’s home; sound’s pretty interesting. I finally know where we’re heading to.”
“I really don’t want you two along.”

I seriously don’t want to bring these two home. However, I can’t think of a way to shake them off either. These are two people who, when serious, even Ani has difficulty winning against, and if I carelessly provoke them, there’s no assurance that the others won’t suddenly come.

“Of all people, why did it have to be you two?”
“Fufufu, with Shihocchi and I together, our noisiness is multiplied!”
“I’d rather not agree with that.”

If you have any self-awareness, then shut up. And it’s not like their noisiness gets unconditionally multiplied when Isami and Hiiragi are together. It mainly depends on Hiiragi’s condition. If Hiiragi is in high spirits, well, she’s more of a nuisance than she is noisy.

“Well, Shihocchi’s performance being dependent on your mood isn’t anything new.”
“There’s no need for me to be high energy today.”
“It’s easier on my part if it’s kept on rotation, so I’d rather it stays that way.”

If Hiiragi goes wild, it’ll probably end up with Yayoi snatching her away. I don’t know how many people Yayoi will send after her, but it probably wouldn’t reach the same scale as with New Years. I’d rather it not escalate into a townwide affair.

“I can’t contact them, huh.”
“Who?”
“My twelve family acquaintances. I wanted to ask for Yayoi’s contact details.”
“Ah, you’re planning to sell me out, aren’t you?”
“That was the plan, but I have no idea what the others are up to right now.”

Hiiragi has known Ani for a long time. Which is why she knew my plan and has likely anticipated it from the start. Still, I don’t understand why she’s coming along regardless. Is she prioritizing fun?

“Contacting the family for that would probably be troublesome, too.”
“Koto-chan, your family relationship seems complicated as usual.”
“I’m sure that they’ll ask why I need Yayoi’s contact details, but I can’t just honestly say that it’s to sell out a friend. And Hiiragi would absolutely figure it out and get in the way.”
“My life depends on it, after all.”

Just what happened between Hiiragi and Yayoi? I’d probably get an answer if I asked Nako, but she seems to be occupied dealing with piled-up paperwork. I’ve previously sent her a message, but it’s not even read.

“I’m just kidding. Yayoi and Kannadzuki have a good grasp of my limits. Apparently, for them, I’m a precious common folk sample.”
“Like a lab rat?”
“I don’t really mind it. Shiwasu will stop them if things go overboard. Those three make a balanced team, in my opinion.”

So Yayoi, Kannadzuki, and Shiwasu act as a trio, huh. It’s considered unusual for the twelve families to team up with each other, but maybe by having Hiiragi in the middle, they kept their relationship ambiguous. I don’t think it’s something that needs to be hidden, though. But I guess, thanks to Ani doing various things out in the open, their efforts have been rendered useless.

“People who can serve as a test sample for athletic and medical stuff are important for those three, you see. They said they wanted collaborators.”
“And that’s where you came in, huh. What about Nako, then?”
“How many do you think are there who can keep up with Yayoi? Nako and I are just there to help with her de-stressing.”

I can’t describe it, but I feel like they’re dealing with some rigorous de-stress routines. Evidence of it is the visible grief in Hiiragi’s expression. Personally, I find it crazy that there’s someone who’d use the Nako-Hiiragi pair for de-stressing. It’s a big world out there.

“I didn’t know that you had connections with the twelve families too, Shihocchi. Why did you hide it?”
“It’ll obviously be troublesome if the others know. Nako and I know full well that we can’t let them and the rogues den to meet for fun. They’re people that even Ruru considers to be dangerous.”

The combination of the rogues den and the twelve families is something that even Ani desperately tried to avoid, so it’s understandable. I didn’t expect Hiiragi to understand the dangers of it. While she is someone who’d sell out a friend, I guess even she thinks it’ll lead to dangerous consequences.

“In Kotone’s case, Shiwasu should be on guard against you, so I don’t think they’d meddle with you.”
“I’ll leave them to you, Hiiragi. I’m already occupied in dealing with my own set of troublemakers.”

If I gain even more connections to the other twelve families, the possible future of becoming a family head previously mentioned offhandedly might end up being restored. More so if we turned out to have an amicable relationship. With Hiiragi’s involvement, there’s an extremely high chance that I’ll get dragged into it.

“That’s a heavy burden for me, and there’s no telling whether they’d eventually get interested in you or not, so I can’t be sure about that.”
“I’m not expecting that much, so don’t feel obligated about it.”

There isn’t anything we can be absolutely sure about. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. It’s what makes us unique. The rogues den are people who are able to make full use of their individual uniqueness, and so are the members of the twelve families. If they have their eyes on me, I’m throwing the towel.

“Come to think of it, I don’t know your family composition. Koto-chan, are you an only child?”
“I have a younger brother and sister. I’m begging you, please behave.”
““That’s definitely impossible.””

Hearing their completely expected response, I hang my head. In that case, I guess I’ll have to put my hopes on Hiiragi. With her being in a low-energy state, she should reel in Isami, who can’t even behave in a conversation. Though if Hiiragi also goes buck wild, then all hope is lost.

“Oh right, I’ll say this in advance, but once we reach my home, I’m going to inform Yayoi about your location, okay?”
“I can’t shake her off forever anyway, so I don’t mind. Until then, I’ll enjoy your home to the fullest.”
“Well, you’re quick to give up.”
“Just be happy that she’s not super high energy, Koto-chan. When she’s in that state, even I can’t handle her.”
“I’m not in a condition to push myself~”

I guess it’s a lucky accident, huh. Only a certain few can stop Hiiragi when she goes out of control. And no one here right now fits the bill, so the Kisaragi residence will be in a lot of trouble if that happens. By the way, those certain few are Ani and Nako.

“Now then, off to Koto-chan’s home we go~! ”
“We’re already walking, though.”
“I’m setting the vibe, Shihocchi.”

I’m not mistaken in thinking that this won’t end well, am I? I guess I’ll have to depend on Misaki since she has some experience with the rogues den. I didn’t expect to have more concerns today outside of father.

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